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Hands-Free Texting with Siri: How to Dictate Text on iPhone

By Conner Careyupdated on 07/31/2018

These days, hands-free iPhone operations are easier than ever. You can navigate in Maps, jam out to music, and look up information on Safari just by asking Siri to take over for you. But did you know you can also use Siri to send hands-free texts? To go completely hands-free in Notes and Messages, you'll need to enable dictation on your iOS device. In this article, we'll show you how to enable dictation and how to send texts via Siri, and we'll share a few simple dictation commands to get you started. Read on to learn all about how to dictate text on your iPhone.

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How to Enable Dictation on Your iPhone

Before you start sending texts or making lists through Siri, you'll need to enable Dictation. Here's how:

Go to Settings.

Tap General.

Scroll down and tap Keyboard.

Toggle on for Enable Dictation.

Hey, Siri, Send a Text

Now you're ready to communicate hands-free. To send a text through Siri, just say, "Hey, Siri, send a text to" and then say your contact's full name as written in your Contacts list. Wait for Siri to respond with, "What do you want to say?" Now, you're ready to dictate your response by using the commands found in the next section. When you're finished say "done." Siri will then read the text back to you. If the text is incorrect you can say "edit" to begin the text over again. If you're happy with the text, then say "yes" and Siri will send the text to your contact.

Common Voice to Text Commands for Dictation

Frustratingly, there is no voice command to delete mistakes. If you want to delete something you'll either have to start a whole new note or text or tap the screen to edit manually. Here's a short list of voice commands we've found useful:

quote … end quote: to put quotations around a phrase say, "Quote," then say the phrase, and then say, "End Quote" to close the quotation.

new paragraph: begins a new paragraph.

new line: begins a new line of text.

smiley: inserts :-)

frowny: inserts :-(

winky: inserts ;-)

These commands will help you go hands free with your texts and notes for a safer driving experience. Give this how-to a shot and with practice, you'll have Siri doing the work for you in no time.

Top Image Credit: Hadrian / Shutterstock.com

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Conner Carey's writing can be found at conpoet.com. She is currently writing a book, creating lots of content, and writing poetry via @conpoet on Instagram. She lives in an RV full-time with her mom, Jan and dog, Jodi as they slow-travel around the country.

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